It didn’t seem like an obvious blockbuster at first — at least not to me — but The Grammar Girl (iTunes - Feed - Web Site) has remained one of the most downloaded educational podcasts on iTunes. To be precise, each week, about 100,000 people download these short podcasts that offer “quick and dirty tips” for cleaning up your writing. And thanks to the enduring popularity of her free audio lessons, plus an appearance on Oprah, Mignon Fogarty, the creator of the Grammar Girl, has also managed to spin-off an audiobook ($9.95) that has driven strong sales. Plus she’s got a good, old-fashioned pulp book somewhere still in the pipeline.
It was perhaps, then, only a matter of time before Fogarty faced some friendly competition. The Grammar Grater (iTunes - Feed - Web Site) is a new podcast that approaches language issues from a slightly different angle. It focuses on “English words, grammar and usage for the Information Age,” which is to say that it deals with grammar issues that often arise when we write emails, blog posts, instant messages and beyond. Luke Taylor is the host, and, with him, you get a well-produced, often entertaining, podcast that touches on grammar issues that you’re bound to encounter in your daily electronic writing. Give the Girl and the Grater both a listen and you’ll almost certainly learn small bits that’ll make a big difference.
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thannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnks a lot for the book